The Working Group formulated the following recommendations, without indication of their order of priority.
Logbooks should be introduced on board the industrial vessels, for the detailed recording of catches, fishing effort and fishing positions, so that it will be possible to have reliable statistics together with an exact indication of the fishing grounds.
Based on this detailed information, the countries of the Central Gulf of Guinea division should attempt to map their fishing resources.
Research vessel cruises should include the shallow inshore areas to identify nursery grounds, the deeper part of the continental shelf and the continental slope to identify new fishery resources, and monitor environmental parameters.
Basic oceanographic conditions should be measured throughout the whole area at regular intervals.
Collaboration should be sought with universities interested in the study of marine resources and joint or separate research subjects defined.
Every attempt should be made to monitor the length frequency structure of the main species in the commercial catches, so that analytical models can be used to assess these stocks.
In order to improve the collection of catch and effort data for the artisanal fishery, a regular Catch Assessment Survey should be conducted, following CECAF recommendations and based on annual frame surveys.
Foreign countries fishing in statistical division 34.3.5 are requested to submit information on their catches directly to the country in whose waters the catch was taken.
Regional research collaboration (e.g. joint research programmes) should be reinforced and since Equatorial Guinea has joined CECAF, it is recommended that CECAF uses its good offices to involve scientists from these countries in further Working Groups in the area.
In order to standardise methodologies, the Working Group recommended the use of Pauly's stock assessment manual and programmes and a suitable HP calculator.
The Working Group agreed that in view of the present overexploitation of the total demersal stocks a reduction of effort is necessary, for which the following options are open : reduction of number of vessels, reduction of individual vessel size, increase of mesh size, change of fishing grounds. While it was realised that each one of these measures would have direct socio-economic implications, the Group felt that measures should be taken while it was still time. Indeed, 10 new shrimpers are scheduled to join the present fleet in the near future. As the Nigeria fishing grounds, where the major part of the shrimp stocks are located are closed to the Cameroonian fleet, one may wonder where these new vessels should fish. At the present moment, all industrial fishing vessel are already fishing with small meshed nets very close inshore in the estuaries and the 2 mile limit resérved for the artisanal fishery. As these inshore grounds are often nurseries for the offshore commercial stocks, the Working Group recommended that urgent measures should be taken to protect these areas from further industrial exploitation. This would also solve the problems between the artisanal and industrial fleets (see section 2.8). Banning of industrial vessels in these areas would at the same time greatly reduce the quantities of juvenile fish caught. It can be seen from Annex 7, that for Pseudotolithus elongatus the length of first capture is about 15 cm.
Furthermore, the Working Group recommended that new fishing grounds be sought, or present technology improved, so that part of the effort can be directed to other stocks. In Cameroon the area around Kribi has so far been considered non-trawlable, but recently trials have been successful using sophisticated echosounding equipment to avoid submerged rocks and uneven bottoms. In addition, longlining for snappers, groupers, Sparids, etc. could be very successful on the untrawlable shelf. Beside developing the Kribi area, fishing agreements with neighbouring countries could offer a partial solution.
